ARC: Air sales revenue up 5.2% for first half of 2014

U.S. travel agents sold $48.5 billion in airline tickets in the first six months of 2014 , up from $46.1 billion for the same period in 2013, a 5.2% increase.

Ticket transactions were up 2.4%, to 77.5 million.

Domestic air sales were up 6.5% for the first six months of 2014; international air sales were up 2.5% for the same period. Domestic transactions were up 2.1% for the first six months; international transactions were up 3.1%.

The numbers suggest that airlines are successfully raising their fares, long a challenge for an industry beleaguered by razor-thin margins.

U.S. carriers are widely seen as leading the industry in managing capacity, flying fewer flights with fuller planes.